The trestle table is one of the oldest furniture designs. Examples of the trestle table were common in ancient Rome. The basic design consists of two pairs of vertical supports that are typically attached to the under side of the tabletop. A horizontal bar/stretcher maintains alignment of the vertical supports. Advantages of the trestle table over a conventional table with corner and perimeter legs include enhanced leg room, reduced interference with chair placement, and minimized impact and damage, such as that occurring from chair and leg collisions during normal use.
A known fundamental weakness of the conventional trestle table is attributed to its stretcher design. Small movement of the stretcher connection allows end-to-end rocking of the table, which often contributes to additional enlargement of the gap in the stretcher connection resulting in further instability. Conventionally, the position of the stretcher is fixed by hammering wedges or shims at the end of the stretcher where it intersects with the support legs. Another disadvantage of the trestle table design is the need to use the table top as a stabilizer of the overall structure. The stabilizing functionality thereby limits the flexibility of top design.